Obolon'-Brovar vs Nyva Vinnytsya

The wholesale half-time substitution was the defining structural decision. Antonenko used the friendly to split minutes evenly, and although the continuity suffered, the approach gave every outfield player approximately 45 minutes — a deliberate plan for the early pre-season phase.

Taras Lyakh — The forward opened the scoring inside three minutes with a well-timed header and remains one of Antonenko's established first-team regulars. The manager noted post-match that Lyakh has "already become one of our key players."

Artem Chornyi — The young midfielder capped a solid second-half display with a 90th-minute header, his first goal of the summer. "It's nice to start the camp with a win, and even more so to score a goal," Chornyi said after the match.

The trialists — Obolon gave minutes to three trialists across the two halves, one in each defensive line, as Antonenko evaluates potential additions before the new UPL season.

Player of the match: Taras Lyakh

The 2-0 scoreline reflected Obolon's superior class and fitness base against a Nyva side playing their second friendly against a UPL opponent in a week (they lost 1-4 to Epicentr on 28 June). The home side created chances in both halves despite the complete XI reset, while Nyva struggled to carve out clear opportunities against two different defensive units. Neither side was pushing full intensity given the early-stage training loads.

Obolon, who finished 12th in the Ukrainian Premier League last season, begin their 2026/27 campaign away to Epicentr on 1 August. This friendly was the first of several planned matches in their Bucha training camp. Their next warm-up fixture is against Persha Liha newcomers Lokomotyv on 7 July.

Nyva Vinnytsya will play in Ukrainian Second League (Group A) in the coming season. They continue their pre-season schedule against YUKSA Kyiv on 11 July.

A routine, professional start to pre-season for Obolon against a side two divisions below them. The scoreline was modest, but the fitness-building purpose was clear: two entirely different XIs, heavy running loads, and three trialists evaluated. Lyakh's sharpness bodes well for the UPL opener in August.